Years ago, when my collection of pets consisted of a tank of fish, I might have said jealousy is purely a human trait. However, my viewpoint on this matter changed when we brought Max home to live with us. Max is a rescue dog that believes, deep in his heart, that he is a little boy trapped in a dog suit. When I first met Max at the rescue shelter, he strode up to me with his chocolatey brown, desperate, and watery eyes. I knelt to pet him, and he returned my kindness with a warm slurpy kiss over the back of my hand.
“He likes you!” The owner of the shelter beamed.
“You think so?” I twiddled Max’s ears and ran my hand down his soft fur.
Having only grown up with large dogs, I had zero experience picking up and holding a smaller dog. Do I flop him over my shoulder like a baby and rub his back? Do I sit him on my lap? Clueless, I decided to let the dog show me what he preferred. I picked him up like a child under his arms and took a seat. A moment later, Max flipped on his back, pressed his head against me, and went to sleep, cradled like a baby.
“We accept all major credit cards.” the shelter owner said. “How would you like to pay?”
I handed over my Visa.
Max remained “an only child” with us (if you don’t count the fish) for about a year. Then…
…we added the birds. Max sat on the sofa with his back to us. He became weepy when the birds received goodnight cuddles before him. Max was, in fact, jealous. Which leads me to today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday of Glamourpuss.
Title – Glamourpuss
Written by – Sarah Weeks
Illustrated by – David Small
Published by – Scholastic Press – 2015
Suitable for ages – 3-7
Topics – Vanity, jealousy, drama, and friendship.
Opening – Once upon a pillow sat a glamorous cat named Glamourpuss.
Glamourpuss lived with Mr. and Mrs. Highhorsen in a giant mansion on the top of a hill where they were waited on hand and foot by a pair of devoted servants named Gustav and Rosalie.
Amazon Review – View it HERE. Glamourpuss has it all. She has style. She has charm. And she knows how to strike a pose.
Glamourpuss loves being the center of attention. So when an unwelcome guest (a dog, no less!) steals the spotlight with some tasteless bow-wowing and undignified tail-wagging, Glamourpuss worries that she’s going to fall out of fashion.
Is there room for only one superstar in this mansion? When Glamourpuss makes her most majestic move to find out, the result is pure purrfection.
Why do I like this book? The main character, Glamourpuss, is quite the spoiled feline! She has a fancy bedroom, diamond collar, and servants. And if this isn’t enough, her owners don’t expect her to catch mice or take part in any other cat-like activities. Glamourpuss’s singular task is to be glamourous. However, this prissy kitty gets a rude awakening when an unwanted visitor arrives. Soon, a pooch, trained to do tricks while wearing tacky clothes steals her show. I won’t spoil the ending. You’ll simply have to check out this super fun and super funny book to find out how these two unlikely pets set aside their differences to be friends.
The illustrator, David Small, does a fantastic job bringing all the shenanigans, emotions, and inner feelings of cat and dog to light with simple ink lines combined with a pallet of pretty watercolors. The one surprise element of his illustrations, used in the beginning pages, is the creative addition of photo collage.
Learn more about Sarah Weeks HERE.
Learn more about David Small HERE.
FUN FOR KIDS – Learn how to make an origami cat. Click Here.
Here’s a fun tutorial on how to draw a cat with the word “cat”. Click Here.
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